In Costa Rica, in recent years, a ''

cédula de identidad A (Spanish), also known as or , is a national identity document in many countries in Central and South America. In certain countries, such as Costa Rica, a is the only valid identity document for many purposes; for example, a driving license ...

'', has been a

credit card A credit card is a payment card issued to users (cardholders) to enable the cardholder to pay a merchant for goods and services based on the cardholder's accrued debt (i.e., promise to the card issuer to pay them for the amounts plus the o ...

-sized plastic card. On one side, it includes a

photo A photograph (also known as a photo, image, or picture) is an image created by light falling on a photosensitive surface, usually photographic film or an electronic image sensor, such as a CCD or a CMOS chip. Most photographs are now crea ...

of the person, a personal identification number, and the card's owner personal information (complete name,

gender Gender is the range of characteristics pertaining to femininity and masculinity and differentiating between them. Depending on the context, this may include sex-based social structures (i.e. gender roles) and gender identity. Most cultures ...

birth Birth is the act or process of bearing or bringing forth offspring, also referred to in technical contexts as parturition. In mammals, the process is initiated by hormones which cause the muscular walls of the uterus to contract, expelling the f ...

place, birth date, and others), and the user's

signature A signature (; from la, signare, "to sign") is a handwritten (and often stylized) depiction of someone's name, nickname, or even a simple "X" or other mark that a person writes on documents as a proof of identity and intent. The writer of a ...

. On the reverse, it may include additional information such as the date when the ID card was granted, expiration date of the ID card, and other such as their

fingerprint A fingerprint is an impression left by the friction ridges of a human finger. The recovery of partial fingerprints from a crime scene is an important method of forensic science. Moisture and grease on a finger result in fingerprints on surfac ...

s, and all the owner's information in matrix code. Every Costa Rican citizen must carry an ID card immediately after turning 18. The cards may include several security measures, including the use of ultraviolet coating. In the near future in Costa Rica, the ''cédulas de identidad'' will also be used in the digital signature process. As of January 2020, the Costa Rican Tribunal Supremos De Elecciones (TSE) is in the planning and testing stages to move from a physical card to the use of

biometrics Biometrics are body measurements and calculations related to human characteristics. Biometric authentication (or realistic authentication) is used in computer science as a form of identification and access control. It is also used to identify i ...

for purposes of identification, eliminating the current

plastic Plastics are a wide range of synthetic or semi-synthetic materials that use polymers as a main ingredient. Their plasticity makes it possible for plastics to be moulded, extruded or pressed into solid objects of various shapes. This adaptab ...

card. A move that would be in line with the country's goal of being

carbon neutral Carbon neutrality is a state of net-zero carbon dioxide emissions. This can be achieved by balancing emissions of carbon dioxide with its removal (often through carbon offsetting) or by eliminating emissions from society (the transition to the "p ...

. This law was issued in response to individuals who in a single year requested as many as three or four cédulas, which had a production cost of US$7.29 by 2022. The TSE had documented cases of people who during their adulthood had applied for as many as 150 identity cards.

References

Costa Rica Government of Costa Rica {{CostaRica-stub